It was already late when he finally reached the closest entrance to the sanctuary that led to the great hall of exorcists, and he still needed to prepare for tomorrow night before the sun fell behind the horizon.
Today was a night of a full moon and he needed to wait for it to pass or dangerous things would happen.
Pushing his way through the sharp rock he made it to a corridor full of darkness. He was already accustomed to its welcoming glory and almost instinctively he summoned a bright fire ember that illuminated his way.
There was more than one such entrance but not all of them let to the great hall.
That was one of the reasons why corridors were always guarded.
And the reason why Cecilie was so wary of him the first time he came.
Truth seekers were not normally used to interrogate people. They were weapons forged and created by Cecilie and her own personal army. No one could doubt their powers when it came to mind and spirit and even the most knowledgeable transcendent barron would fall under their combined effort.
But it was not the main reason for her worries.
At the time of his coming, he did not get into the great hall of exorcist through the corridor but with the help of Gabriel. Until now Hildebrant did not know why Gabriel helped him escape from Icarus, but he was sure it was not out of kindness.
Gabriel was known for his intelligence and cockroach survivability. He was the oldest of all inhabitants of the sanctuary and the person who lived in the sanctuary for the longest. There was no one older than him, even Cecilie needed to bow before his knowledge but that was the only reason why they feared him.
Darius main.
The person painted in David's room he stayed when he first came here showed an image of the leader of Walldrifters and the most powerful person that even stayed in the sanctuary. His glory and power were so immense he almost connected all four great halls and obtained all artifacts and legacies hiding in Julliana's abode.
The last one was not known, or he alone was not sure if it was true but it was known Darius Main was undefeated in three great halls.
Yes three, there was one he could not conquer even after continued assault and that was the great hall of crastmans.
Gabriel home.
If before it he was just the most experienced and oldest inhabitants after this point Gabriel showed he did not just have the knowledge to stay alive longer than was expected from someone who should be plagued by desire but also power.
In the end, Darius Main left Gabriel alone and left on an expedition out of sanctuary but never returned.
Hildebrant heard many rumors like Gabriel went to take revenge for his people who died in one of Darius' assaults or one of his three generals rebelled and took his head silently so they would not anger people of sanctuary but none of them was proven true.
It was understandable because Darius' body was never found, and no one knew where he went.
Did he escape?
If he did why others stayed behind and did not follow him?
Was it for power, fame, and authority they had in sanctuary but would not have outside?
All were possible but also unlikely when he remembered the despair coming from Hemri's mouth and the madness that swirled in his eyes when he heard he came from outside. Could such people of sanctuary desire to stay in this harrowing place where dangers were everywhere?
Coming to the end of the corridor Hildebrant stepped into the great hall of exorcists and the corridor behind him shook and an intense scream escaped from the other side.
It already happened more than once and after finding out the corridor of the exorcist was not the only one that was filled with blood after his first visit Hildebrant just observed the darkness with an indifferent gaze but then his irises widened and immediately wanted to take a step back, but it was too late.
Blood waves hit his body and sent him flying and right after he hit the wall of a wooden house and broke it, a bloody smell hit his nose, and the scream of the silver guard echoed through the entire great hall.
"I finally found you."
Bloody whisper came from red fog and blood vessels began to grow on anything blood touched even on Hildebrant body, spreading with speed he could not comprehend.
They wanted to consume him but flames that now were passing through his organs in an orderly manner began to burn then with the same ferocity they tried to consume him, but the danger did not disappear.
A Crimson faceless monster in the shape of a man strolled through the dead bodies of two guards now overgrown with blood vessels.
Anywhere his head turned screams echoed and people ran away for their lives, not even the bravest of warriors stayed, and the only ones that attacked the crimson being were silver warriors who unsheathed their swords for the last struggle.
Growl escaped from under Icarus's face and intense light began to be emitted from under his skin.
"Move out my way!"
He roared and even before the sword could touch his skin, silver warriors began to twist unnaturally, their flesh and blood rotating and then exploding on their own.
Each of them tried to stop him in their own way, one with his body, another with a shovel, and some with the power of time itself but nothing stood a chance against a crimson monster that descendent from hell.
There looked to be no hope even Hildebrant who tried to stand up had a hard time moving with blood vessels still trying to consume him and bind him.
But then his neck began to burn and before he could observe more Icarus froze for a second and then with fury seeping out of his body in the form of bloody sweat that let blood vessels grow where it fell Icarus lifted his gaze and growled.
"Cecilie…."
Then air began to split apart but before it could come closer Icarus grasped something invisible and broke it with one of his four hands. Then he growled again this time with even more malice than before to the point his body began to tremble.
"Ivistar…."
Before Hildebrant could even take on what was happening Ivistar in his silver silk and silver armor attacked the crimson monster his sword splitting the world in front of him apart.